A family copes with divorce in this poignant Australian banking ad

DDB Sydney tackles a sensitive subject for Westpac

Published On
Mar 12, 2019

Editor's Pick

The days when all commercials depicted perfect, happy families might be fading, but divorce is still a topic rarely touched upon by advertisers. 

Ikea has been one of the few to address the topic in its "Where Life Happens" campaign in Sweden, and now here's a poignant ad from Australian bank Westpac that takes a look at the financial implications of splitting up.

Set to a soulful rendition of Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide" by singer/songwriter Conrad Sewell, the spot shows a young boy helping his mom adjust to life on her own. We see their relationship develop as he helps her in all sorts of ways; putting up fairy lights, helping her take the garbage out; protecting her from the sun as she lies on the beach; catching a massive spider, and in one scene, warding off a flirty dishwasher repair guy who looks like he'd be trouble. Then, we see him spending time with his dad, after a slightly tense handover with the mom. "If you're separating, we're here to help," says the tagline. 

The spot was created by DDB Sydney and directed by Garth Davis of Exit Films.

It suggests the pain of divorce in subtle ways rather than laying it on thick. “To see such a young boy, stoically step up and support his parents through their difficult separation was deeply affecting," Davis sayd. "He was the symbol of hope, the glue that held them all together. It rang true to me; kids do that when their parents hurt, they innocently overcompensate and remind us of what really matters.”

The campaign is running across Australian TV, radio, digital, out of home, radio and social. It's part of an ongoing campaign titled "Help" that's also included a spot about losing a loved one

Credits

Date
Mar 12, 2019
Client :
Westpac
Agency :
DDB-Sydney
Westpac Group Head of Brand, Advertising & Media :
Jenny Melhuish
Acting Head of Advertising :
Melanie Portelli
Senior Manager, Westpac Advertising :
Shannon Jenkin
Director of Media Planning, Westpac :
Carly Boyle
Chief Creative Officer :
Ben Welsh
Executive Creative Director :
Tara Ford
Head of Art :
Noah Regan
Creative Partner :
Matt Chandler
Senior Art Director :
Richard Apps
Senior Copywriter :
Jeff Galbraith
Head of Integrated Production :
Sevda Cemo
Managing Partner :
Chiquita King
Group Account Director :
Topher Jones
Senior Business Director :
Sarah Gardan
Business Manager :
Bianca Cohn
Head of Planning :
Dom Hickey
Senior Planner :
James Davis
Production Company :
Exit Films
Director :
Garth Davis
Executive Producer :
Leah Churchill Brown
Producer :
Karen Sproul
Edit Facility :
The Butchery
Editor :
Jack Hutchings
Sound :
Song Zu
Sound Engineer :
Abigail Sie
Post Production :
ALT VFX
VFX Post Supervisor :
Dave Edwards
VFX Post Producer :
Adrianna Spanos
Music Supervision :
Level Two Music
Music Supervisor :
Karl Richter
Casting :
Kirsty McGregor CGA CSA
Casting :
Gemma Brown CGA

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